Getting into the driver's seat of your life!
Photo by madison lavern on Unsplash
Many people are feeling that work is not working but just don’t know where to start to make a change or alternatively change lots of things without being really clear about what is not working. If you are going to make any sort of change in your life you need to be in the driver’s seat, not sleepwalking through your life. This means we need to be paying attention which is increasingly difficult at work because we are all moving at such a cracking pace. In my last article, I explored the benefits of mindfulness. I know that some people feel really turned off by this word as it has become a bit of a buzzword. But in its simplest form, it is Paying Attention and these are the tools we need if we are going to make positive changes at work.
What might a mindfulness program look like at your workplace?
You might commit as a group to a sitting practice to build your mindful muscle. This might involve getting someone in to help you get started or perhaps there is someone in your team who can help you. Of course, there are also now a number of apps that can guide you on a mindfulness journey, some particularly related to using at work. I think you would be surprised if you throw this out to your team what sort of resources or ideas they will have to get you started. Just like anything, sometimes it is just about getting started. We are not aiming for perfection it is just being open to having a practice that we can use and grow over time.
Perhaps you could explore all the ways you can embed mindfulness into your everyday life at work:
A deep breath each time you walk through a doorway.
A reset by feeling into your body every time you go back to your desk
You might use the opportunity when walking between meetings to come into the present by really observing what is around you or noticing your feet as they touch the ground rather than being absorbed by the train of thoughts going around your head.
Perhaps you might use your morning cuppa to come into the present by feeling the warmth of the mug or really tasting your tea rather than distractedly drinking whilst you catch up on emails
If you want to be an active participant in your own life you are going to need to develop the skills to bring you back again and again into the present. The multi-modality life we are living, together with the pace that appears to be an expectation, does not encourage us to settle into the present. This takes skill and intention.
So, before we continue on this journey where we explore the M.A.G.I.C Framework, I would like you to consider what step you will take today to support you to come into the present.